March Book Update

For the background on this challenge make sure to read these January and the February posts.

FYI my reading tool of choice is my Kindle, hauling around a book all day is a pain in the a$$.

It’s been a very busy couple months for me. In addition to writing over at PIC and here (check out last week’s post, it’s been red-hot) I’ve also gone from one book a month to 2-3 books at the same time. And that is why today’s post on February book selections is a little past due.

As you can see the February books were an intriguing lot with both fiction and self-help. I picked The Winter Palace because I was looking to get away from the current state of the world. I really wanted to immerse myself in a far-away land. The Winter Palace did that.

My Fiction Pick

Taking place in the court of Catherine The Great in St Petersburg, Russia, this story is historical fiction as told by a young girl who works for the Empress. There is a lot of political intrigue and gossip. The servant girl as narrator gives us rich detail on the support structure of a royal court. This book is an easy read but the detail and historical background help you feel that you aren’t wasting your time on a trashy book. I recommend to anyone looking for an interesting escape from the modern world.

The other book I read this month is from Scott Adams, the author of the world-famous Dilbert cartoon. In addition to his Dilbert cartoon, Scott is famous for predicting Donald Trump’s election win and saying deliberately controversial things on his blog and Twitter. My love of Dilbert is vast so I choose to ignore his kookier side.

How To Fail At Almost Anything And Still Win Big

Adam’s “How to Fail At Almost Everything” book is written for the digital age of distraction, the chapters are short with snappy titles like “The Time I Was Crazy” and “Passion is Bullshit.” Beyond the snappy titles there is a compelling story here. Adams aspires to help his readers learn from his mistakes and successes. He discusses what has worked, what has failed and how you can apply his knowledge to your life.

Unlike a lot of self-help books Adams’ book is not selling you unrealistic advice or suggesting you buy more stuff from him. And where his advice sounds unachievable (30 minutes of exercise every day? Waking up at 4 AM to work on your novel?) he levels with the reader: you can have raw talent but if you aren’t willing work hard, try, fail and try again, you won’t be a success.